


An Understanding

by Tammaiya



Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-04-09
Updated: 2004-04-09
Packaged: 2018-08-09 04:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7785955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tammaiya/pseuds/Tammaiya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maurice and Gaspode both used to hang around the Unseen University, right? You can't tell me they never ran into each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Understanding

It was something new when Maurice nicked a kipper out of the rubbish heap before Gaspode did, though not because Gaspode was missing out. He was rather used to that.  
  
"Bloody cat," he muttered, not really putting any feeling into it.  
  
The cat treated him to a rather chilly glare. "Well excuse ME for breathing, I'm sure."  
  
And that was it in a nutshell. Gaspode was depressingly used to his superior intelligence; he was really not accustomed to anyone other than Angua or Carrot speaking back.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Kipper in mouth, Maurice rolled his eyes and spoke with muffled sarcasm. "Brains as well as looks, I see. My, we are a lucky doggy, aren't we?"  
  
Maurice, on the other hand, was not impressed. He may have been dining on garbage for the evening, but he was still a cat with style and standards, something this… creature… seemed rather lacking in.  
  
Still, it wasn't every day you met another talking animal.1  
  
~  
  
"I don't like you," Maurice explained patiently when they met for the second time. He didn't do liking. He did manipulation, thank you very much.  
  
Gaspode sniffed, hardly concerned. "'s nofing new there. Nobody does," he said matter-of-factly. "'m just an unlovable flea-bag, me."  
  
"Don't give fleas to me," Maurice warned him. "I promise that you won't live to regret it."  
  
"I should be so lucky," Gaspode answered gloomily. "They like it here, I fink."  
  
"I thought nobody liked you?"  
  
Maurice had an odd sense of humour.  
  
~  
  
The third time they met, Maurice sighed. "You're a dog," he pointed out, wondering if this wasn't somewhat of an exaggeration.  
  
Gaspode scratched an ear idly. "Really? Glad someone finks so."  
  
Clearly, he wasn't the only one.  
  
"I'm a cat," Maurice added, feeling his message wasn't quite getting through.  
  
"That's nice," Gaspode told him. "I'd kind of noticed, style o' fing. 's a bit obvious, really."  
  
Had he been anyone else, Maurice would have wondered if he was missing something, but then, he was not the kind of cat that did. Therefore, Gaspode must have been the one to miss something, and Maurice informed him so.  
  
"Look," Gaspode said wearily, "I ain't much into the whole ooh-looky-cat-woof-woof-woof fing, right? 's too much of a bovver. Don't stand a chance against 'em, anyway."  
  
Maurice felt mildly and curiously irritated by this, as if his dignity had been somehow affronted. "You're not a very good dog, are you?" he asked nastily.  
  
When Gaspode didn't seem inclined to answer, irritation graduated to full-scale annoyance. Scratching Gaspode hard across the nose, Maurice stalked off haughtily, ignoring the mangy mutt's yelp.  
  
"Bloody dog," he hissed sourly.  
  
~  
  
When they met again, Gaspode rolled over and whimpered. Maurice decided not to apologise, as he wasn't really very enthralled by the idea of even implying he was ever wrong, and besides, he liked power.  
  
"You're pathetic," he said.  
  
"So?" Gaspode replied sullenly. "'m alive, aren' I? And you're still here."  
  
It was like a light bulb being turned on, Maurice realised. Gaspode needed someone around who wasn't going to turn there back on him, and Maurice… well, Maurice prided himself on the fact that he needed nothing and nobody, but it was always nice to have someone around to appreciate how cunning and amazing he was.2 He liked being in control, anyway.  
  
"I think we've reached an Understanding," Maurice purred, feeling smug.  
  
The meetings after that one all blurred together.  
  


* * *

  
1 One who wasn't a rat, anyway.  
2 Who, once again, was not a rat.


End file.
